Storm of the Mojave
by Archive of the Prophet
Summary: Two years after the Second Battle of Hoover Dam, a young woman discovers her abilities are far from random, as the Force was born unto her. Now, with her Master training her, she must choose who her fate lies with, and what side she is on in the war over new technology. Because war...war never changes. I apologize for the extended hiatus, college hit me hard. More chapters coming!
1. Introduction

War...war never changes. In the years following the Courier's journey for revenge across the Mojave Wasteland, the world he had created had become a shadow of the Old World, before the great bombs fell. The New California Republic defeated Caesar's Legion in the Second Battle of Hoover Dam, removing them as a threat in the Mojave. The remnants of the Legion, known only as the Toro, began to build strength in the territory south of Cottonwood Cove. The New Vegas Strip was more prosperous than ever, and the three families that ran the strip vacated, along with Mr. House's death. In their place sat four replacement families. At the Tops, the Kings, who once ran Freeside, controlled and improved the reputation of the most visited casino on the strip. The Gomorrah gave a home to a new family, the Red Lights, who embraced the oldest profession in the world, prostitution, remnicient of the Omerta's. The Ultra Luxe became the home of the Picks, who played Old World rock music and had wild parties from dusk until dawn. The last casino on the strip, the Lucky 38, fell into the lap of the Enclave of the Bear, who immediatly transitioned it into a relic to the Old World Government, framing pictures of great presidents and events the United States were a part of. All the while, the New California Republic has remained in control of the Mojave, and a healthy relationship with the Nellis Boomers and the Brotherhood of Steel have improved relations with all kinds of tribes across the Wasteland. Across the Colorado, east of the Dam, however, something has crashed. A Correlian Infirmary Ship downed in the area of the Legate's Camp, and with it came new weapons, such as the Blaster Rifle, the Beam Sniper, the Fletchette Shotgun, and Blaster Pistol. The race to discover how to manufacture these weapons are being run by the NCR, the newly independant Gun Runners, and the technology obsessed Brotherhood of Steel. Yet, in the middle of it all, a young woman named Walker, born to an NCR Veteran Ranger and a young Tops casino receptionist, has begun to unlock the secrets of her abilities. She will soon learn her heritage, her powers strength, and who her destiny resides with in the battle on the horizon. Because war...war never changes...


	2. Chapter 1

The room was dimly lit, and a window was hidden behind the curtains. The wallpaper was an old shade of brown, and the bed, which was parallel to the window overlooking the strip, was a medium red, white pillows at the head. A poster of Frank Sinatra IV sat above a dresser next to the bed, and a silver locker across from it. Toys littered the floor, and amongst them sat a young woman, no more than seventeen, with long blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair white skin. She normally wore the red dress that had belonged to her grandmother, but today, she was wearing her first set of New California Republic Face Wrap Armor. She slowed her breath as she closed her eyes and focused on the room around her.

"Don't think, feel." She whispered. In front of her, a Nuka-Cola Truck began to levitate and float to a horizontal position. Then a teddy bear did the same, laying atop the toy truck. Next came a Caravan deck, a small doll, and a basketball, all stacking upon one another to create a tower, which maintained balance. A Plasma Defender floated next to her and began to move toward the tower.

"Walker! Breakfast!" A man's voice called from below. Walker opened her eyes and jumped up, the tower collapsing, and the Plasma Defender fell to the floor. The gun went off, and she ducked, the beam going straight through the wall to the outside. Walker cringed.

"Well, that's another wall I've gotta fix." She muttered, looking at the other holes in the walls around her room. Walker flew down the stairs, skipping steps as she descended. She jumped to the bottom and smelled the air. She smiled. "Wasteland Omlettes!"

"Yes, Wasteland Omlettes." A man stood behind a counter by a stove and a refridgerator. This room was a light tan, with blue accents. There was a couch across the room from the kitchen, and a few recliners parallel to eachother, adjacent to the couch. A coffee table sat in the middle of the seats, with copies of Future Weapons Today and Tales of a Junk Town Jerky Vendor upon it. Left of the kitchen counter stood an arcade cabinet that played an arcade game about the comic book series, Grognac The Barbarian.

Walker sat at a stool in front of the counter and smiled at the man. "Got anything cool happening, dad?"

He nodded. "Lieutenant Jameson, Private Keynes and I are going to investigate a crash site by the camp where Legate Lanius was beaten by that one Courier. What was his name?"

Walker shrugged. "I don't think anyone but Ulysses knew."

The man gave her a quizzical look, then returned to cooking. He was something like 6'4", white, brown hair and green eyes, and a scar that came from around his left ear to his lip. He wore NCR Veteran Ranger Armor, complete with a leather trenchcoat and his Chinese Assault Rifle. His NCR dogtag read Ranger Kano Rose, and had a stamp upon, it reading Hoover Dam and Hoover Dam II. He plated two omlettes and set one in front of Walker. "Dig in, you're going with us. Its your first mission into NCR training."

Walker looked him in the eye. "Jalapeno, not banana pepper?"

"Yes."

"Bighorner, not brahmin?"

"Yep."

"Raven eggs?"

"What other eggs can we get?"

"Tomato, not mutfruit?"

"Of course."

"Did you get the good sweet Ketchup from the Lucky 38?"

"Mhmm."

Walker beamed. "Thanks daddy!"

Kano smirked. "You're welcome, dumpling."

Walker took a bite of her omlette and looked at her dad. "So, what exactly crashed? I thought all our satalittes and whatnot floated to Mars after the bombs fell."

Kano sat on the stool next to her. "To be honest, I don't know what fell. When Craig told me what they saw from the Dam, he sounded more...nervous than he ever has."

"I thought Uncle Boone was at Camp McCarran." Walker said, confused.

"He was transferred a week ago, and now that this happened, I'm not sure if he's going to want to keep his position as Captain." Kano breathed slowly. "Whatever it is, the NCR don't want the Brotherhood or the Enclave to get a hold of it. Must be some sort of tech from before the war."

Walker nodded. "So, we're supposed to establish a campsite there until the 'higher ups' can decide what to do?"

"Correct, dumpling." He chuckled. "And guess what?"

She leaned in. "What?"

"We're talking the humvee." He whispered.

"Sweet!" She cheered. "I love that truck! Its got a roll cage for off roading!"

Kano smiled. "Get your gear, we leave in fifteen." Walker resumed eating and nodded. Her dad shot her a look. "And no floating things."

She smiled. "Of course not. Why would I?" She said playfully.

Kano sighed. "You know why. Did you forget what you did to Michaelangelo?"

"I only made the cross he built for the church float accross the room into sunlight and made his paintbrush write 'Genesis' on the wall." She jeered.

"He still thinks he's some sort of chosen prophet now." He shook his head. "You know you drove him crazy."

She shrugged. "Shouldn't have been talking shit."

Kano darted his eyes at hers. "Watch your language, young lady. Soldier or not, you're my daughter, and I don't like it when you talk like that."

Walker nodded. "Sorry dad."

Kano sighed. "I'll be in the lobby with your mother. You have ten minutes before we move out."

She saluted. "Yes sir!" She cried, mocking his stature. He shook his head and closed the door. Walker slurped up the rest of her omlette and ran up stairs. She holstered her Plasma Defender, slung her Assault Carbine over her shoulder, and sheathed her Machette, and flew back down the stairs. She tied her hair into a bun, took two Stimpaks from the first aid crate and opened the door to the hallway. Several rooms were on this floor, but theirs was the only room with a family inside. The only other populated room belonged to the King, who ran the Tops. She opened the elevator and pressed lobby. The elevator began to close when the King stuck his hand in.

"Going the same way, King?" Walker said.

He nodded. "Someone thinks Pacer is dealing cards wrong, cheating so to speak. If he is, he's only doing his job." The King was a handsome man of about thirty, a bit shorter than Kano, a bit heavier, and dressed like Elvis Presley.

She frowned. "Sir, with all due respect, shouldn't cards be an honest game?"

The King just stood there for a second. He then looked at her. "You're right, little lady. If you're gonna have people come back to gamble away their money, gotta have a proper game going. I'll correct Pacer and get him back on the straight and narrow. Thank you, Walker." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a chocolate bar. "All yours."

She smiled and took it. "Thank you, King."

He nodded. The elevator opened to the gambling hall of the Tops casino. In front of her were many tables, and lots of poor shmucks gambling away their fortunes. Toward the entrance was a staircase and a reception area, and left of that was another gambling pit. The room was a whole lot more lively now that Galaxy News Radio had a branch out in the Mojave, due to the fact that the disc jockey Three Dog got his hands on some older rock music and some Motown from the 1950's, before the war.

Walker strode to the reception area, where her parents, Liutenant Jameson and Private Keynes stood. Her mother was a thin Japanese woman, with blonde hair and blue eyes, and she wore a Pre-War Red Dress. Jameson was a black man in his thirties, with dark hair and brown eyes. Keynes was a short Hispanic man of about twenty, with dark hair and honey colored eyes. The two soldiers wore basic NCR armor. "We all ready to go?"

"I still don't like you talking Walker with you. I'm pretty sure your fourth could have been Carlyle from the Enclave." Her mother barked.

Kano smiled. "Lilly, please. She's with me and Jameson."

"Exactly my point. You two always manage to get shot at." Lilly retorted.

Jameson sighed. "Walker, its up to you. Do you want to go?"

She gave him a blank stare. "No Louis, I want to stay home and play dress up with the other girls. What do you think I wanna do?"

Jameson smirked and looked at Lilly. She looked away and sighed. "Fine, go. But if anything happens to my baby," She pulled out her Desert Eagle, "I'll shoot your nuts off."

Walker looked up to see Keynes staring at her, who immedietly looked away. She laughed and turned around to see a man of about thirty walk up to her. He was a tall white man, with dark hair and eyes.

"I've got a package for Walker Rose. Repaired Pip-Boy 3000 from Chet of Goodsprings."

She nodded. "That's me. How much were the repairs?"

"Two-hundred caps, plus NCR taxes."

She opened her wallet. "Do you accept NCR cash?"

"Yeah, and thanks to the NCR control, NCR currency has gone up in value, two caps per NCR dollar. That's makes your payment one hundred bucks."

Walker nodded again. "Here's a hundred, and here's twenty to you for your walk here." She opened the box and put on her Pip-Boy, with her custom white lettering. "And who do I have to thank for the delivery?"

He shrugged. "Call me the Courier." He walked out the door and onto the strip.

Walker just stood there, blinking.


	3. Chapter 2

It was mid day as the black humvee rolled across the Mojave Desert, kicking up dust and rocks. The sun shown behind the traveling clouds brightly, and the heat was excruciating as it bore down on the armor clad soldiers in the humvee. The desert was a golden tan, and fresh grass grew along the highway. Lush green trees grown from fresh water flowing from the Dam swayed in the breeze. A herd of Bighorners ran accross a field to a water spring coming up from the ground.

Walker sat up front with her father, who drove the humvee. Private Keynes sat in back with a Scoped Trail Carbine monitoring the areas surrounding the humvee. Lieutenant Jameson stood on the .50 cal Minigun, watching for Deathclaws, or worse, Super Mutant Behemoths.

"Dad, why didn't they send soldiers from the Dam to investigate?" Walker asked, shielding her eyes from the sun.

Kano turned onto the I-95. "Remnants of the Legion, the Toro, are building strength south of Cottonwood Cove." He lit a cigarette and waved at a passing NCR Trooper Platoon. "They're led by a man named Vulpes Inculta. He believes Caesar was weak in his attack on the Dam, and we're under the impression he wants a Round 3."

"And? What does this have to do with a few soldiers from the Dam going ten feet to the crash site?" She retorted.

Kano nodded. "Fair point. But there's a lot to defending a territory you don't know yet." He puffed his cigarette. "If your enemy is on your doorstep, you don't turn away and leave the door unlocked."

Walker frowned. "That makes sense." She said, feeling defeaten.

The humvee flew across the sand past the 188 Trading Post. It was a small trading settlement that specialized in weapons and medicine. They were coming close to the Dam, and Walker could see smoke coming up over the cliffs. Then, as he pulled alongside the El Dorado Dry Lake, Kano stopped the humvee.

Walker looked at her father. "Dad?"

He hushed her and drew his 5.56mm Handgun. Jameson looked around and spun up the .50 cal. Keynes hopped out of the truck and scoped the area. Walker leveled her Assault Carbine and waited.

"Dad? What is it?" She asked again.

Kano slowed his breathing. "I think its Giant Spiders. Deathclaw killers."

Keynes eyes grew wide. "Are you serious?"

Kano nodded. "I've only encountered one before. There were eight of us. Only Boone and I walked away."

Walker swallowed. "So, we have no chance?"

Kano shook his head. "We didn't have a .50 cal."

Jameson smiled. "Well then. How do we draw it out?"

It leapt from the cliffside in front of the humvee. It was smooth and black, stood twelve feet tall at least, eight legs spanning its massive body. Its jaws were razor sharp, and its eight red eyes scanned the four soldiers. A massive dagger sharp stinger came from its underbelly and dripped with venom.

Fear spread across Walker's ghostly white face as she looked into the Giant Spiders glistening eyes. "Run or shoot?"

Kano stood silent.

"RUN OR SHOOT?" Walker screamed.

"BOTH!"

Kano, Keynes, and Walker leapt from the humvee as the Giant Spider flipped it over. Jameson was still inside, cowering and crying. Kano ran behind the massive beast and drove his Combat Knife into its back, and black blood splurted from the wound. A shrill scream came from its lungs as it rose up, standing on four legs, four others flailing about. The beast kicked up its rear, and Kano went flying into a boulder. Kano fainted upon crashing into the rock, and the Spider planted its legs firmly in place.

Walker began to fire into the side of the mutated arachnid with her carbine. Keynes flipped his scope to the side and fired into the Spider's back, each .44 round putting a hole into its giant body. The Spider turned and slammed its left forelegs into Keynes, knocking him into the dirt. He crashed into a cactus and broke it in half as he rolled onto the desert floor unconcious.

Walker swore. She was the only one left to fight this thing? So be it. She ejected her clip and slammed a new one into place. She pulled the bolt slide and leveled her sights onto the Giant Spider's right forelegs. She opened fire on the legs, two separating from the force. The creature screamed in pain as it collapsed. Walker saw her chance and she took it. She levitated the creatures split legs and slammed them into its face, flipping the great beast over. She then rushed over to the mutation and drover her Machette into its great head. The Giant Spider screamed, curled its legs, and grew very stiff. Walker stepped back from the dead abomonation, leaned on the humvee, and began to calm down.

"Did I just do that? Did I lift those huge ass legs?" She murmered. Chills were sent throughout her body, and her blood ran cold. What was she capable of?

She slumped against humvee's tire and knocked out.

*3 Hours Later*

Walker awoke to Jameson, Keynes, and her father flipping the humvee. She got up slowly, her head throbbing with pain. She shook herself awake and stretched. Her muscles felt like rubber, and she could hardly think.

"Ah, you're awake. Good." Her father stated, concern fleeing his face.

"Yeah, but I'd rather be asleep. Awake sucks right now." She grimaced as she struggled to stand. She looked at the Giant Spider's carcass, and then to the humvee. "How's our ride?"

Keynes shook his head. "Not good. The engine has some major valve issues, and the carborator is shot to hell. Needless to say," The fender fell off the humvee's front, "We aren't going anywhere anytime soon."

"No." Kano responded. "We're out here for a reason. We will reach the Dam." He looked at Walker. "Check your Pip-Boy. Where are we?"

She raised her Pip-Boy and flipped over to her GPS feature. "According to this, we are outside Boulder City to the east. We start walking now, and we'll get there in...t-minus fifteen."

Keynes beamed. "At least we'll be in safety."

Kano shook his head. "Relative safety. We don't know who or what came from that cruiser. Or if its stable. We just need to get to that wreckage before the Brotherhood or the Gun Runners."

"And if we don't?" Walker asked.

Kano narrowed his eyes on the billowing smoke on the horizon. "Then the balance of power in the Mojave may sit on someone elses shoulders."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Johnson exclaimed, walking east towards the Dam.

Walker and the others nodded and followed Johnson, staying alert.


	4. Chapter 3

The small band of soldiers arrived at the Dam at 1600 hours, hungry and parched. Walker moved slowly off the soil and onto the Dam's smooth concrete. She looked across the wall spanning the Colorado River to the smoke billowing overhead. A massive ship dug into the Earth and protruded into the sky.

A man walked out from inside the Dam. He was 6'2", white, and had a pair of sunglasses on. A First Recon Beret sat atop his head, and he wore perfectly maintained Recon armor. There was a smirk on his face, and a Scoped Hunting Rifle on his back. He extended an arm to Kano, who smiled and took it, giving him a firm handshake.

Kano grinned. "Craig Boone. How the hell are you?"

Boone nodded. "I'm well off. You?"

"I'm fine." He replied. "These are my trainees, Lieutenant Louis Jameson and Private Jason Keynes." He motioned to Walker. "You remember my daughter, Walker?"

Boone looked at Walker and smirked. "How are you, kid?"

"I feel like hammered shit." She groaned.

Kano shook his head. "I'll chalk that one up to the heat, Walker."

Boone held up his hand. "We're all soldiers here, its fine." He gave Walker a thumbs up and looked her over. "By the way, what is your rank?"

"I'm Private First Class, sir." Walker replied, and looked to the wreckage. "Father said a cruiser of some sort fell. What are we dealing with?"

Boone sighed. "I'll give you the same info I shared with your father before you left." He looked to the wreckage. "From what we have determined, it's a good seventy percent of a medical frigate of some sort, due to part of it looking like a huge medical bay, and we have yet to locate the end of the ship. The question is: Where is it from and why did it crash?"

Kano shrugged. "Do you think it was pursued?"

"Possibly. But that's not why we're here. This is a spaceship. This must have some impressive tech. Now, that ship crashed last night, and nothing has left it, so I assume everyone is either dead or evacuated. This being, I need you and your team to search the frigate and salvage some technology, something we can use." Boone looked away from the wreckage. "It would be a disaster for the Gun Runners or the Brotherhood, or even the Van Graffs to get their hands on this tech."

"We gotta go there and salvage tech?" Walker moaned and sat on the ground. "We came all this way for some tech? That's some crap."

"There might be weapons, or medical equipment. We have no idea at this point." Boone replied.

Kano nodded. "Precisely. If there are energy weapons, and they aren't heavily used, claiming those weapons and learning to manufacture them: that's the real prize. We'd control the Mojave with weapons only we have. Weapons never before seen. Hell, we don't even know if the makers anticipated something of this nature."

Johnson leaned back and exhaled slowly. "The NCR don't use energy weapons anyways."

"With new weapons, we just might." Boone replied.

Walker frowned. "When do we leave?"

Boone paused, walked to the doors of Hoover Dam, and turned back to the soldiers. "Once you've rested and eaten."

Walker jumped up and rushed towards the doors. "Come on guys! Food!"

Kano shook his head. "That girl has a larger appetite than I do sometimes."

Keynes smiled and continued at Kano's side. "Sir, is your daughter single?"

Kano sighed. "That has to be the stupidest question you have ever asked. In fact, it is the stupidest question I have ever heard." He glared at the soldier. "You do know I can have you stationed in the Divide if I so desire. Do you want that?"

Keynes cringed. "No sir. I just think she's different. A cool different."

Kano nodded. "You have no idea." He said, a stout grin on his face.

...

It was 1700 hours and the sun had begun to set. Walker was fed and her supplies were replenished. She stepped out of the Dam's large doors, refreshed and chipper, and walked to the edge of the Dam's massive concrete wall and faced the sunset, just watching the orange and pink hues of the sky clash and intertwines. She sighed, pondering her abilities. 'What are they for?' She thought to herself. 'I moved those spider legs. I can push doors open. I can jump higher and move faster. What the hell am I?' Walker draped her legs over the side of the Dam and watched the sun move behind Guardian Peak and set. The sky went a light gray and the lights from the New Vegas Strip lit up the sky.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah, dad."

Kano sat beside her, overlooking the horizon with her. "You were thinking about it?"

"Yeah."

"You don't understand why?"

"No, not yet." Walker shook out her hair and touched knees to elbows. "I just don't know why I have these...these powers. Why am I different?"

Kano shrugged. "Maybe you aren't different. Maybe it's the world that's different."

Walker smiled. "Thanks daddy."

Kano hugged her and nodded. "You're welcome, dumpling."

Walker stood and looked towards the billowing smoke. "Shall we salvage?"

Kano stood and raised his hand. "Whoa, Walker. Salvage means it's broken. We're looking for something working, something good."

Walker laughed. "Then let's go get some tech."

...

The four soldiers stood at the entrance to the Legate's Camp. Jameson carried a toolbox, and Keynes carried a couple copies of 'Programmer's Digest'. Kano brandished his 5.56mm Revolver and Walker held her Plasma Defender.

"You ready?" Keynes asked.

"Umm, pretty ready." Walker replied, steadying her breath.

"Let's do it." Kano breathed, pushing the massive junk door open.

At their feet sat skeleton after skeleton, all wearing Legion armor, all with their sun bleached hands gripping a blade or a rifle. A few dog skeletons lay here and there, and the armor of two NCR Veteran Rangers sat at the gate. In place of the actual camp sat the remains of the massive ship, with some of its front dug into the ground. Hunks of metal were scattered amongst the bodies and the rocks. The ship was a medium grey, and plenty of windows were still intact.

The team walked toward the ship carefully. The ground shook, and Walker kneeled, leveling her Plasma Defender at the ship. "What was that?"

"Just a tremor." Kano replied.

Walker shook her head. "I don't think so, dad." She looked the ship over and warily moved forward.

They came to a massive opening in the ship that went clear to the other side, and several other ships, small in size with large square black wings, lay one atop another in heaps along the right side of the ship. "It's not just a Medical frigate, it's a deployment ship. There have to be forty ships there." Keynes said, his eyes darting from one ship to another. "This is a hanger."

Jameson slid over to one of the ships. "It says 'A-Class Tie Fighter'. Is this ship for a stalemate during a battle? Is this what Tie Fighter means?"

Walker shook her head. "It's just the name. Who knows what these were for? Maybe they're just for exploration in enemy territory. The writing is English, so we know it has to be humans."

Keynes shook his body. "The thought of aliens gives me the heebie jeebies."

Kano looked quizzical. "The hell are heebie jeebies?"

"You know, like chills or odd feelings." Keynes replied.

"Then why not say odd feelings?" Kano spat.

Keynes kicked the floor. "I grew up saying heebie jeebies."

"Hey, focus guys. We're here for tech, right?" Jameson asked.

"Yes." Kano agreed. "Keynes, you have the copy of 'Programmer's Digest', so you'll be with me, trying to get one of these ships to operate. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Jameson, you will take my daughter with you through the doors ahead and look for some weapons, tech, and parts."

"Copy all, boss." Jameson saluted and then led Walker to the doors. They were large and metal.

"These doors are blast proof." Walker said, looking the doors over. "Is there a control panel?"

Jameson nodded. "Yeah, but it's just a big button."

Walker beamed. "Perfect."

She pressed the button and the massive doors opened. It led to a massive hallway toned chrome, with waxed floors. The duo tried to walk, but slid on the sloped slippery floor.

"This is so much FUN!" Walker cooed, Jameson trying to hold in his puke.

They hit the next door softly, and Walker pressed the next button. The massive doors opened to what looked like a barracks. There were white suits of what looked like Brotherhood of Steel Power Armor lying in piles next to footlockers. The beds were grey, and they hovered very low to the ground. Walker pointed to a man sitting in a corner muttering to himself. He was in a grey shirt and blue underpants, and he had a classic Military haircut. The man was Hispanic, and had deep brown eyes.

Walker carefully made her way to the man and kneeled. "Hello sir. We're here to help. Who are you?"

He nodded. "Unit LK-505 of the 101st Battalion of the First Galactic Empire. We were being pursued by Rebel ships. We hadn't seen that many in so long. We didn't follow procedure. Why didn't we follow procedure?" He cradled his legs and rested his head upon them. "Better safe than sorry."

Walker cocked her head to the side. "Rebel ships? What ships?"

"Walker." Jameson's voice called to her. She raised her hand to her comrade. "No, Private Rose. I need you now."

Walker nodded and trekked back up to Jameson. He held a black rifle in his hands that had a very small scope and a muzzle brake. It looked like a Marksman Carbine. "What is this?" Walker asked, her interest peaked.

"That's a Blaster Rifle, standard issue for all soldiers in the First Galactic Empire's ground forces." He stood awkwardly and shuffled towards the two.

Walker moved her hand over her Plasma Defender and nodded. "What does it do?"

LK-505 coughed. "This baby fires highly concentrated energy in selected firing modes, and it can scope up to 4 times the sight of the naked eye. This rifle has everything a soldier needs to protect Lord Vader and the Emperor at all times, as well as attack targets given by Lord Vader and defends systems from the Galactic Rebellion's invasion and liberation schemes."

Walker smiled. "That's a mouthful."

LK-505 nodded. "So, what army are you from? Hopefully you're Imperial, otherwise you're screwed."

Walker looked at Jameson and sighed. She looked back to LK-505. "We, uh, we're from the New California Republic."

"What system is this?" LK-505 asked.

"What do you mean?" Jameson asked, confused.

"I mean like, the Dagobah System." LK-505 began to grow impatient, his eyes narrowing.

"Uh, this is the...Solar System." Walker answered, worried.

LK-505's eyes grew very wide. "We're in the Outer Rim planets?" He laughed and cheered. "I thought maybe I landed on Tatooine, but that's a totally different system."

Walker shrugged. "Well, we've never heard of this Galactic Empire. Or this Imperial Army. We're not even Rebels. We're the NCR, dedicated to preserving life itself in the Mojave and resuming where the Old World left off in our Californian territories."

LK-505 shook his head. "Well, whatever system this is, it'll be part of the Empire soon enough."

Walker stared LK-505 down. "What's that supposed to mean?"

LK-505 put on his armor as Walker and Jameson backed away. "That means some of our soldiers sent out distress signals, and an Imperial Star Destroyer should be here any day." He put on his helmet. "In other words, Storm troopers like me," He picked up a rifle, "Carrying Blaster Rifles like me, dressed like me, are going to occupy this planet in the name of the Empire, whether you like it or not."

Walker raised her Plasma Defender. "Not if I have anything to say about it."

LK-505 fired at the two soldiers, and Walker pushed Jameson away. She dove behind one of the beds and breathed slowly.

"Come out, Private Rose. I won't hurt you none." He growled, leveling his Blaster and creeping along bedsides.

Walker concentrated on her surroundings, feeling the room out. She felt her opponent's anger grow as he made his way closer to her. She felt Jameson's fear flow in waves, his mind race from one thought to another. She felt around the room for a bed, and lifted it with her thoughts, crashing it into LK-505. The bed snapped his spine and he gave out a shrill scream of pain and anguish.

Walker stepped out from behind the bed and looked at the soldier in his white armor. Jameson stepped out too, and shook his head. "Stupid malfunctioning beds, huh?" He laughed. "They can afford all those ships, but not proper hover beds."

The two walked through the massive iron doors and made their way to the first door, the door to the hanger. Walker opened the door, only to see about thirty more Storm troopers waiting on standby, and two Storm troopers begin to tie up Keynes and her father. Walker looked left and right, only to see more Storm troopers.

"Freeze!" One called out.

Walker stopped, and Jameson set down his toolbox.

"Drop your weapons and get on your knees." Another called.

She dropped her Plasma Defender and kneeled beside Jameson. "We are so screwed." She muttered, her eyes darting around the hangar.

The Storm troopers put her in cuffs, as well as Jameson, and the four prospecting soldiers were held front and center.

"Find anything of value from this hellhole?" Kano muttered.

"Just an insane soldier and a bunch of hovering beds. And there was a Blaster Rifle." Walker replied.

Kano nodded, his demeanor switching from commanding to neutral.

"Get up." A Stormtrooper ordered. The four stood, and the soldiers escorted the four outside of the hangar. "Set your rifles to stun." He said. A few clicks were heard, and Walker cringed. "You may fire when ready."

A few blasts sounded, and Walker blacked out.


	5. Chapter 4

Walker awoke with the smell of a river in her nose. Her eyes teared up, even though she was blindfolded, and her mouth was gagged. She remembered what had happened right before she blacked out, but couldn't make heads or tails of where she was. She felt around the room with her mind. There were five other people in the room, three familiar auras and two faint, almost undefinable auras. She also sensed great danger, and a very powerful person nearby. Not in the room, but somewhere close.

"So, these aren't Rebels?" One voice said.

"Nah, these are some sort of Outer Rim undiscoveries." Another said, his voice just like the last.

"So, why are we even worrying about them?" Voice One said.

"Boss said those Legion boys wanted them held. Could make some money or something." Voice Two replied.

"We could blast those punks and be done with it. They're unarmed. What can they do?" Voice One's aura grew impatient.

Voice Two sighed. "I dunno. Boss said one of them had potential."

"Well, I'm getting some lunch. You coming?" Voice One asked.

"Well, I am pretty hungry. Let's go." Voice Two said.

She felt them leave the room. "I hope they have Bantha Steaks." One voice echoed.

Walker focused on her surroundings and sighed. It was pointless to try to see the room. She had no such ability. She groaned from her wrists burning from the rope that was tied tightly around them. She then had a grand idea. She focused her mind on her blindfold. It slowly lifted, and Walker looked around the room. It was a dark and wet cave, with lots of moss in and around the the room. The cave was very large, and small shoots of grass shot up from the ground. She shuffled to her left to see her father and the two soldiers lying next to eachother, alive. She spit out her gag and blew hair out of her face.

"Okay, time to get out of here. Question is: where is here?" She asked, oblivious to her still bound wrists. She struggled with them for a while, and then stayed still. Frustrated, she cussed at herself. She felt defeaten by rope. "How the hell do I get this off?" She pondered. A second later, she focused her mind on the rope, and it became loose. She slipped her hands out, now seeing her Pip-Boy was gone. She then untied her legs.

She was free. Immediatly, she untied her father, and shook him awake.

Kano stirred. "Walker? Are you alright?" He groaned.

"I'm okay, dad." She replied. "Do you know where we are? My Pip-Boy is gone."

He nodded. "This is Guardian Peak. Why we're here is beyond me."

Walker shrugged. "It's across the lake. It makes no sense."

Kano looked to the others. "What do we do about them?"

Walker nodded. "We need to find a way out of here, and we need to come back for them."

The two looked toward the cave opening in front of them. It went deeper into the caves, and there were voices coming from inside.

"Let's do this." Kano picked up a piece of stalagtite. "How many do you feel?"

Walker closed her eyes. "At least eight. But I feel someone more powerful very close by." She winced. "It's like I've felt it before."

Kano put his hand on her shoulder. "We are gonna be fine."

She smirked and pulled a Switchblade from her bra. "I know we are."

Kano smiled. "Resourceful. Just like your old man."

Walker nodded and crept toward the cave mouth and held her pointer to her mouth. She opened the switchblade and crept slowly into the cave mouth. Two Stormtroopers stood in the cavern, just standing there.

One Stormtrooper was talking to a radio. "Yes sir. I'm on it." Stormtrooper One said. He turned to the other and exhaled slowly. "There's a cloaked man inside the caves. Apparently, he's a Jedi. I guess Lord Vader didn't get all of them."

Stormtrooper Two shrugged. "What's one Jedi anyways? They were wiped out during the Great Jedi Purge. We can take them, right?"

Stormtrooper One laughed. "Yesterday, you couldn't hit a T-16 with a Beam Rifle. Don't tell me you think you can take on a Jedi alone."

Two looked his rifle over. "Who says I can't?"

One rose his hand. "Me! Me! I do!"

"Screw you Dale." Two sighed.

Walker shrugged and crept along the wall of the cave, hiding behind stalagmites and stalagtites alike to avoid detection. She slowly moved, barely breathing. A rock fell from the ceiling above her.

"Dale, what was that?" Two said.

"I dunno. Maybe it was the Jedi. Go look." One scoffed and turned to the cave mouth. "Did Lenny and Carl leave our captives alone?"

Two nodded. "Yeah, they went to lunch with Homer and Moe."

"Okay, I'll check on them, you investigate the scary noise." One replied.

Two lifted his rifle and moved closer to Walker. "Copy that." He moved closer, and Walker felt her father panicking. She steadied her hand, waiting to strike. Walker exhaled silently and waited.

Out of nowhere, a hooded man with a sword made of light sped at the soldier and cut him and many, many stalagmites and stalagtites with him. The hooded man with the glow sword went into the cave mouth. There was a loud electric sound, and a body slumping noise. The hooded man walked back into the cave area Walker was in, and looked right at her. His sword disappeared, and he walked toward her. "Stand up, Jedi." He said.

Walker did not move. "Who is Jedi?"

He looked at her with eyes grey as stone. "The one who is fluent with the Force, that's who. That's you. Stand." He replied.

Walker stood up very slowly. "You're not gonna slice me, right?"

The man shrugged. "You haven't given me a reason to yet."

Walker winced. "So you...you're the one the Stormtroopers were talking about?"

"Yes. I've been tracking this ship from Naboo to Dantooine, and then to Utapau, only for it to come to a stop in this hellhole Outer Rim planet." He removed his hood, and Walker immediatly saw many scars. "They have plans to a prototype space cruiser in those ruins, and that's why the place was so heavily guarded."

"Wait, what the hell is a space cruiser?" Walker asked.

The man turned to her. "You really don't know?"

Walker shook her head. "I just found out what a Gameboy was yesterday, and I threw one away when I was little. It's worth Caps now."

He shook his head. "Look, I don't have time to talk to you about this. We need to leave."

"Alright, let me and my friends get our things." Walker looked to Kano, who was still hiding. "Dad, get Jameson and Keynes. We're moving."

Kano stood, exhaled, and nodded. "We'll meet you outside." He replied.

Walker picked up her Plasma Defender, her Pip-Boy, and her Machete from a table. She checked the Map card on her Pip-Boy and read their coordinates. They were at Guardian Peak, no doubt. It was her travel log that made no sense. Even though it appeared that the Time function had malfunctioned, it recorded that she moved all the way around the river, through Cottonwood Cove, and along the 188 Trading Post to get where she was.

"Excuse me, lady, but we need to leave. Being gunned down by platoon of Stormtroopers isn't exactly my ideal way to die, so if we can get moving? Yeah, that'd be great." The man spoke with gentle ferosity and pride.

Walker nodded. "I'm just wondering why we we're taken here, along this route, without any sidetracks or seperate movements."

The man looked at her, puzzled. "How long do you think you've been out?"

Walker shrugged. "I dunno. Three or four hours, tops." She looked him in the eyes. "Why?"

The man pointed to the cave mouth. "See for yourself."

She nodded slowly and cautiously moved towards the cave mouth, and what she saw, she couldn't believe. Thousands of spaceships lined the sky, smoke rose from where towns and settlements used to be. The Vegas Strip was lightless, and bolts of light flew from Camp McCarran. Only Hoover Dam seemed untouched, but a large spaceship hovered above the facility. Lines and lines of Stormtroopers walked along the streets.

"How long has it been?" She asked, tears in her eyes. Her gaze never left the Mojave Wasteland.

"Three days, and this isn't the worst of it. I'll tell you more once we're in a safe place." He said.

Kano approached from behind. "Yeah. I know a place."


End file.
